Automatic sanding apparatus for railway-cars



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 (No Model) W. T. HAMILTON. AUTOMATIC SANDING APPARATUSFOR RAILWAY CARS. No. 567,856.

Patented Sept INVENTOR wrrusssss 94% m (3 YNE nonms wsrzns c9,PHOTO-LITHO WASHINGTON. D c.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

W. T. HAMILTON. AUTOMATIC SANDING APPARATUS FOR RAILWAY CARS.

No. 567,856. Patented Sept 15, 1896.

7 ///////AIV//////////A ll/III ll/III! WITNESSES INVENTOR NIT-En STATESI WILLIAM T. HAMILTON, OF ALLEGHENY, PENNSYLVANIA.

AUTOMATIC SANDING AP AieArus FOR RAILWAY-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 567,856, datedSeptember 15, 1896.

Application filed April 14, 1896- To all whom it may concern: I i

following is a full, clear, and exact description,

reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of thisspecification, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a part of arailway-car provided with my improved apparatus. Fig. 2 is a plan view,the parts which especially relate to my invention being shown in fulllines and the other parts of the car being shown by dotted lines. Fig.3is a horizontal cross-section on the line III III of Fig. 1, showing ona larger scale the preferable construction of the sand-hopper and themeans by which the sand is delivered therefrom. Fig. 4 is a verticalsection on the line IV IV of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a sectional view showingthe triple valve of an air-brake apparatus adapted to apply the brake bythe ordinary-service stop and also by more sudof the air-brake mechanismis putinto action.j It is the object of my invention to provide,

means whereby the sanding of railway-tracks can be effectedautomatically, not at every application of the air-brakes, but only whenthere is an emergency application applied for the purpose of bringingthe train suddenly to a stop. Vhen such emergency application is made,it is very desirable that all the conditions should favor the quickstopping of the train, and, as one of these conditions, it is beneficialto apply sand at once to the tracks. In ordinary-service stops, however,the sand is not only unnecessary, but is undesirable for many reasons.It is wasteful and is apt to clog the tracks and to injure thewearing-surface of the wheels. The principle upon which my inventionoperates is that I employ in connection with the air-brake apparatus aspecial cylinder connected with and adapted to control the discharge ofsand Serial No. 587,522. (No model.)

from a sand-hopper, and I admit air to operate that cylinder by means ofa valve forming part of the air-brake-controlling valve and put intooperation whenever the latter acts to cause an emergency stop.

Inthe drawings, Figs. 1 and 2, 2 represents the brake-cylinder of anordinary air-brake apparatus. 3 is the auxiliary reservoir. 1 isthe'triple valve. 5 is a special cylinder which I employ for operatingthe sand-hopper valve. The piston of this cylinder is provided with aspring 5, adapted to retract it after it has been projected byair-pressure, as hereinafter explained, and ,is connected to a lever 6,which, by means of rods 7 S, is connected to chains 9 at the ends ofthecar. These chains 9 pass around pulleys 10, as shown, and extend to avalve 11, which controls the discharge-opening 12 of a sand-hopper 13and is fitted with a retracting-spring 11, so that whenever the rod 7 orSis pulled in a direction away from its sand-hopper it shall open thevalve to permit of. the discharge of sand upon the rails in advance ofthe wheels and that when the pulling on the valve ceases the valve willbe retracted to close the hopper. I11 order that only the sand-hoppersat the forward end of the car shall operate, I connect the rods 7 8detachably with the lever 6, so that whenever the direction of motion ofthe car is. reversed the rod 7 or 8 of the 110ppersthen at the1G?t1,61.1l of the car may be detached from the lever 6 and the rod ofthe front hopper connected.

from being dischargedat any one time.

I shall now describe the means by which the sand-controlling cylinder 5is set-into operation. Said cylinder 5 is indirectly connected by anair-supply pipe 17 to the chamber 18 of the triple valve 4. It will notbe necessary to describe all theparts of the triple valve, for in itsgeneral features it is a device well known and not of myinventi on. Thepiston-head 19 of the emergency-valve is unseated on the application ofthe emergency-stop in order to admit air directly from the train-pipe 20through the passages 21 and 22 to the port 23, leading to thebrake-cylinder.

24 is a port which connects with the auxiliary-reservoir port 25, asshown, and is normally closed by the piston-head 19.

25 is a valve-chamber interposed between the triple valve and the pipe17 and having two valves seating in opposite directions, one a valve 26,which is set in a passage 27, the end of which leads into thetriple-valve case and is closed by a slide 28 when the emergency-valveis in closed position, said slide being moved by or forming part of theemergency-valve or of its piston-head,so that when the piston-head ismoved downwardly the end of the passage 27 shall be uncovered and shallbe connected with the port 24:, leading from the auxiliary reservoir.The other valve, 29, in the chamber 25 is set in the passage 30, whichopens into the chamber 18 below the piston-head 19. The valves 26 and 29are provided with suitable springs 31 ,whieh tend to hold them to theirseats. As thus constructed the operation is as follows:

In the ordinary-service stop of the air-brake apparatus the port 27remains closed and the valves 26 and 29 do not operate. Thesandcontrolling cylinder 5 therefore remains in-' active, the port ofthe valve 26 being closed and the check-valve 29 being held to its seatby its spring and by the pressure of the air in the chamber 18. When,however, there is an emergency application of the brakes, which iscaused, as will be understood, by the downward motion of the piston-head19, such motion of the piston-head will uncover the port 27 and willthus admit air from the auxiliary reservoir through said port, thepressure of which air will unseat the valve 26, permitting the air topass through the pipe 17 to the cylinder 5, thus projecting the pistonof the cylinder, rocking thelever 6, and operating the sand-hoppermechanism, as explained above. During this operation the check-valve 29is held to its seat by the spring and by the pressure of air in thechamber 18. WVhen, however, the emergency application of the brakes isat an end and the piston-head 19 is moved back to its normal position,(shown in Figs. 5 and 6,) it will cover the port 27, so as to prevententrance of air therethrough, thus shutting off the pressure from thesand-hopper cylinder. At the same time the reduction of pressure in thechamber 18 will permit the compressed air contained in the pipe 17 andcylinder 5 to unseat the valve 29, whereupon the air therefrom willescape through the port 30 into the chamber 18, and

thence to the exhaust-port with the exhaustair from the brake-cylinder.

The advantages of my invention will be appreciated by those skilled inthe art. The apparatus which I have described is simple and very safeand reliable, and, within the principles of the invention, as defined inthe claims, the skilled mechanic will be enabled to make modification inthe form and construction.

I claim 1. In apparatus for sanding railway-tracks, the combination of asand-discharge apparatus, a cylinder for operating the same, valvemechanism controlling the air-brakes of the car, and (in addition to theservice-stop mechanism) provided with an emergency-valve for applying amore powerful emergency stop, and a port for supplying air to thesand-discharge cylinder, said port being opened only by motion of theemergency-valve; substantially as described.

2. In apparatus for sanding railway-tracks, the combination of asand-discharge apparatus, a cylinder for operating the same,airbrake-valve mechanism, comprising an emergency-valve which moves onthe occasion of an emergency stop, a valve which admits air to thesand-discharge cylinder and is opened by motion of the emergency-valve,and a second oppositely-acting discharge-valve from the sand dischargecylinder, which valve opens into the chamber 18 of the air-brake valve;substantially as described.

3. In apparatus for sanding railway-tracks, the combination of asand-discharge apparatus, a cylinder for operating the same,airbrake-valve mechanism, comprising an emergency-valve which moves onthe occasion of an emergency stop, a port which connects theauxiliaryair-reservoir with the sand-discharge cylinder, and means foropening said port on motion of the emergency-valve; substantially asdescribed.

4. In apparatus for sanding railway-tracks, the combination of asand-discharge apparatus, a cylinder for operating the same, valvemechanism which controls the air-brakes of the car and is adapted toapply thereto a service stop-and more powerful emergency stop, a portconnecting the sand-discharge cylinder with the air-brake valve, and aslide on the emergency-valve which controls said port; substantially asdescribed.

5. In apparatus for sanding railway-tracks, the combination of asand-discharge appara tus, a motor for operating the same, anairbra-ke-valve mechanism containing an emergency-valve, and meanscontrolled by the emergency-valve for actuating said motor;substantially as described. Y

6. In apparatus for sanding railway-tracks, the combination of asand-discharge appara tus, a cylinder for operating the same, valvemechanism which controls the air-brakes of the car and is adapted toapply thereto a service stop and more powerful emergency stop, a portconnecting the sand-discharge cylinder with the air-brake valve, and aslide on the emergency-Valve which controls said port,

andacheck-valve in said port; substantially to operate thesand-discharge mechanism; 10

as described. substantially as described.

7. In apparatus forsanding railway-tracks, In testimony whereof I havehereunto set the combination of a sand-disoharge apparamy hand. 5 tus,air-brake-valve mechanism comprising an emergency-Valve, an auxiliaryair-reser- WILLIAM HAMILTON Voir, and a port which connects with theair- Witnesses: reservoir and is opened by motion of the T. W. BAKEWELL,

emergency-valve to permit the passage of air H. M. CORWIN.

